Clip-forming machine.



W/ TN E SSE S Patented Oct. 2, I900.

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GEORGE E. SOPER, OF KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS.

CLIP-FORMING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,11 1, dated October 2, 1900.

Application filed May 14, 1900.

To a whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. SoPER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Kankakee, in the county of Kankakee and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Clip-Forming Machine, of which the followingis a full,clear,and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for forming or bending metal into substantially U shape to form clips or the like while the metal is in a cold state, thus saving the expense of heating and the extra work of handling hot metal. Manufacturers find it necessary to heat the stock before bending, so that when formed the opposite members of the clip will remain parallel when cold, as in the ordinary method of cold bending the ends of the members spring apart or out of parallelism.

The object of my invention is to so bend the metal strip that when finished the side members of the clip will be spaced apart equally throughout their length.

I will describe a clip-forming machine embodying my invention and then point out the novel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front View of a portion of a forming-machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side View of one of the bendingarms, and Fig. 3 is a side view of the bending-plunger.

Referring to the drawings, 1 and 2 designate bed or side plates spaced apart at their adjacent edges, and, mounted to swing on these plates '1 and 2 are the bending-arms 3 and 4E. The said arms are pivoted on studs 5 and are prevented from swinging too far outward at the lower ends by means of stoppins 6 on the plates 1 and 2. Journaled in the yoke-shaped lower ends of the arms 3 and 4 are grooved rollers] and 8, and journaled in the yoke-shaped upper ends of said arms are rollers 9 and 10, adapted to be engaged by the wedge-shaped or beveled sides of a plunger-bar l1. Carried by this plunger-bar is a bending-head 12, which is removably attached to the bar 11, as here shown, by means of bolts 13. The object in making the bend- Serial No. 16,655. (No model.)

ing-head removable is so that a bending-head of any desired size may be placed on the plunger, and it may be here stated that the plates 1 and 2 are designed to be adjustable toward and from each other, depending upon the size of the clip to be formed.

In operation the straight bar is placed upon the rollers 7 and 8 and then the plunger-bar 11 is forced downward, so that the head 12, engaging with the metal strip, will force it downward between the rollers 7 and 8, thus bending the strip to form the clip. During this downward movement of theplunger-bar the wedge-shaped edges of the bar 11, engaging with the rollers 9 and 10, Will cause the lower ends of the arms 3 and 4.- to swing inward or toward each other, and as the plunger continues to move downward, forcing the bent strip between the rollers, the side members will be caused to converge, as indicated in the drawings. When the clip thus formedis removed from the machine, the said side members will naturally spring outward to their proper relative positions-thatis, so that they are parallel one with the other, the space between their inner straight edges at all points equal and also equal to the inner radius of the circle or bend.

This machine may be operated by connecting it with any form of punching-press, boltheader, or the like.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A machine for bending metal into substantially U shape, comprising swinging arms, a plunger-bar operating to swing said arms to cause the lower ends to move toward each other, and a bending-head carried by the plunger, as specified.

2. In a machine for bending metal to substantially U form, swinging arms, rollers journaled in the lower ends of said arms and adapted to engage the metal to be bent, a plunger having inclined or wedge-shaped opposite edges, rollers carried by the upper ends of said arms for engaging with said edges,

and a bending-head carried by the plunger, substantially as specified.

3. A machine for forming clips or the like, comprising swinging arms, grooved rollers journaled in the lower ends of said arms, rollers carried by the upper ends of said arms, a In testimony whereof I have signed my plunger-bar engaging with said upper rollers name to this specification in the presence of and adapted upon a movement; to swing the two subscribing witnesses.

, arms in such manner as to cause the opposite GEORGE E. SOPER. 5 side members of the clips to converge, and a. Witnesses:

bending-head carried by the plunger, sub- A. T. CROSS,

stantially as specified. O. H. MEAD. 

